FREE briefing events in the East Midlands from Urban Forum for Community Engagement officers, Communication officers

The localism agenda and cuts in public spending bring big challenges for public bodies and communities. Good communications between them are vital in building a space for creative engagement rather than a battleground.

However, research and feedback from community organisations shows us that:

• People can be cynical about consultation, and left feeling less empowered
• Engagement can be perceived as tokenistic with limited opportunities for feedback and genuine dialogue.
• People coming from different perspectives (e.g. residents and officers) can easily misunderstand each other
• A lack of clarity about engagement and decision making can lead to false expectations, frustration and a lack of trust
• Poor communications language can exclude and alienate sections of the community

To find out more about the events and to book a place please go to www.urbanforum.org.uk/events and click on the vent you want to attend.